Thursday, December 25, 2025 12/25/2025

Function of mesothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Award Number: R00CA252009
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/30/2026

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Function of mesothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma - Project Summary/Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a lethal disease characterized by extensive desmoplasia caused by the rapid expansion of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), resulting in the formation of dense stroma. CAFs stimulate cancer progression by secreting a variety of factors that support cancer cells and facilitate immunosuppression. In addition, they also secrete extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides survival and invasion cues to cancer cells and impairs drug delivery. Recently, several populations of CAFs with distinct functions have been characterized in PDA by our group and others using single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA seq). One population is characterized as myofibroblastic CAFs (myCAFs), another population is characterized as inflammatory CAFs (iCAFs), the third population was first identified as antigen-presenting CAFs (apCAFs), which express MHC II molecules and can effectively present antigen to T cells. My preliminary data demonstrated that apCAFs are mesothelial cells. Mesothelial cells form a continuous layer of epithelial cells known as mesothelium. The mesothelium is traditionally thought to be a membrane providing a non-adhesive surface covering organs and tissues. However, until the description of apCAF population, mesothelial cells have been neglected as a potential functional constituent of the tumor microenvironment. My preliminary data suggest that during PDA progression, mesothelial cells go through a mesothelial-fibroblastic transition (MFT), in which they down-regulate MHC II molecules that are required for CD4+ T cells activation, and up-regulate fibroblast genes that have been known to prevent T cell infiltration and activation. Peripheral T cell exclusion is a major immune evasion phenotype in PDA, and my preliminary data show that this exclusion occurs at the region where mesothelial cells are transitioning to CAFs. Therefore, MFT might be an important mechanism of immune evasion and understanding this process is critical. In this proposal, I will test the hypothesis that the fibroblastic transition of mesothelial cells promotes immune evasion in PDA and identify potential strategies to inhibit this process. I propose the following two aims: Aim 1. Determine the fate of mesothelial cells during PDA progression. Aim 2. Determine the functions of MFT on immune evasion. The outcome of the proposed study has the potential to shift the paradigm of tumor microenvironment studies, identify novel strategies to target CAFs and overcome resistance of immune therapies in PDA and other tumor types.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER	5323 HARRY HINES BLVD	DALLAS	TX	75390	DALLAS	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	5	10/8/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $249,000 )
2025	2025	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER	5323 HARRY HINES BLVD	DALLAS	TX	75390	DALLAS	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	5	11/12/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$224,100
2025	2025	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER	5323 HARRY HINES BLVD	DALLAS	TX	75390	DALLAS	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	001	5	6/4/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$24,900
														Subtotal = $249,000

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $300,046 )
2024	2024	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER	5323 HARRY HINES BLVD	DALLAS	TX	75390	DALLAS	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	001	4	4/17/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$24,900
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER, THE	5323 HARRY HINES BLVD	DALLAS	TX	75390	DALLAS	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	4	11/10/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$224,100
2024	2023	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER	5323 HARRY HINES BLVD	DALLAS	TX	75390	DALLAS	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	002	3	4/22/2024	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$51,046
														Subtotal = $300,046

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $249,000 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER, THE	5323 HARRY HINES BLVD	DALLAS	TX	75390	DALLAS	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	3	12/1/2022	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$249,000
														Subtotal = $249,000

Grand Total All Awards = $798,046

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Function of mesothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Award Number: R00CA252009

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/30/2026

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